1. "A coffee mug is so much easier to manipulate than a masher when I'm making mashed potatoes or refried beans. It also leaves them chunkier, which I love." —Pati Jinich, TV host and author of Mexican Today

2. "Here's a trick to make sure you don't scorch the bottom of a pot when you steam vegetables or seafood: Drop a penny into the water before placing the steamer basket on top. When the penny starts clanging, you'll know that the water needs to be refilled." —Jessamyn Waldman Rodriguez, author of Hot Bread Kitchen Cookbook

3. "I put my kitchen tongs to work on everything: as a spatula for flipping crepes, as a way to juice citrus (just insert the closed ends into half a lemon and twist), and as a trivet for a hot dish." —Anya Fernald, author of Home Cookedand cofounder of Belcampo Inc.

4. "Coffee filters are remarkably strong and hold up to weight and heat. I like them for straining things like infused oils and vinegars—even for making stocks and sauces extra-smooth." —Graham Elliot, author of Cooking Like a Master Chef

5. "My canning funnel gets more work than any other tool in my kitchen, and I rarely use it for canning. It helps me transfer leftover soup into storage jars and all of my bulk products from bags to canisters." —Alana Chernila, author of The Homemade Kitchen

6. "Did you know that a Microplane is the perfect tool to scrape the dark parts off the bottoms of overcooked cookies and pastries? I also use it to grate chocolate on top of cakes, shave frozen Kraft caramels into my coffee, and scrape hardened, old sweetened condensed milk off my cutting board!" —Francine Bryson, author of Country Cooking From a Redneck Kitchen

7. "A spoon will peel the skin off fresh ginger in no time at all. Simply scrape the spoon's edge against the ginger and the skin will come right off." —Amie Valpone, author of Eating Clean

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